Eric Lichaj admits playing as a wing-back takes some getting used to after an “awkward” introduction to the position for Villa last weekend.

Lichaj was tasked with being a marauding left-back as Paul Lambert’s formation flitted between 3-5-2 and 5-3-2 in the draw against bottom club QPR at Loftus Road.

The American defender was unable to disclose whether the claret and blues would adopt a similar system against Stoke at Villa Park tomorrow.

But he admits his first experience of the role in last weekend’s 1-1 draw proved how tough it can be to decide when to push forward and when the stay back.

Lichaj was pleased with how he and his team-mates settled into the formation after conceding there were some teething troubles.

“It was a little bit harder to adjust to because I’ve never played that system before, but I think we did pretty well,” said Lichaj.

“There were some mistakes on my part and I guess on some of the other guys’ parts too, but I think overall it worked well.

“We were working on it for a couple of days in training, the manager introduced it to us early in the week, where the full-backs bomb forward, stuff like that and different kinds of shape.

“There’s still things about it that are a little bit awkward, but anything new would be a little bit awkward.”

Lichaj is more than willing to put in the extra energy required to get up and down the line as a wing-back for Villa.

“You have to be up and down the pitch to do your bit for the team, but that’s the job,” said Lichaj.

“It doesn’t matter if you have to run the most for the team.

“I like to think that me and Matt Lowton did quite a bit of running last Saturday. But it’s all right, I enjoy it, that’s why I play there.” Lichaj admits the decision-making was harder to get used to than the lung-busting runs.

“Sometimes with five at the back I need to press on the wingers more often,” added the 24-year-old.

“But I’ll maybe hesitate a little bit because I don’t want to leave Nathan Baker or whoever is playing next to me exposed.

“It was something that was part of the system and I had to do so I had to just get with it. It will come with experience.

“Usually when the ball’s on the other side of the pitch the full-back will tuck round, but in this system I didn’t really have to do that unless I was getting shouted at to come back.

“I was pretty far up there for most of the game when we had the ball. It was a different, but it’s all good.

“I just want to stay in the team, it doesn’t matter whether that’s as a left-back, a right-back or a wing-back.”